When I was in the States recently, all the buzz was about moscato. Apparently it's even being name-checked by hip-hop artists in much the same way as Cristal and Courvoisier were a few years ago – surprisingly given its modest 5-7% abv. US sales rose 80% last year, and with big brands such as Jacob's Creek, Yellowtail and Gallo jumping on the bandwagon, the same seems likely to happen here.

It's easy to be sniffy, but the fact is, moscato is great summer drinking. Light, sweet and gently fizzy, it's the wine world's equivalent of milk chocolate or soggy white bread, a sneakily guilty pleasure. Producers, of course, love the stuff because the lower alcohol level attracts less tax, which makes it hugely profitable, especially since the production costs must be low (no oak, no expensive ageing). A wine such as the cutely packaged Mrs Wigley Pink Moscato (4.5% abv), which is apparently named after the Australian producer Wirra Wirra's winery cat, is £6.75 for 500ml (Flagship Wines also has it, at £7.99, as does Oddbins, £9), making it equivalent to £10 for a full-sized bottle. But pour a glass while watching Wimbledon and dipping into a punnet of strawberries, and you'll see how it hits the spot. (The duty on a 75cl bottle of standard wine is £1.90, excluding VAT, whereas that on the Mrs Wigley is 54p, making the 75cl equivalent 81p.)

If, however, you feel that's a bit too much to pay for what is basically fizzy pop, try Tesco's wildly kitsch new Simply Pink Moscatel (£3.99 in 509 stores, or £22.74 for a case of six online; 5% abv), which is perfect for hen parties, summer wedding receptions or christening teas, with equally pink cupcakes or fairy cakes. Or pick up a couple of bottles of Majestic's delicate, honeyed and rather more strait-laced Viña Tendida Moscato 2010 (£3.99 if you buy two or more; 5% abv), which I'd fancy with fruit salad or airy meringues.

Finally, if you're curious to know what authentic moscato tastes like, look out for Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont. Berry Bros & Rudd has a lovely one, Suri Sandrinet,Cerutti 2011(£11.95; 5% abv), which tastes of liquid honeysuckle and makes you feel like you're wandering through meadows of freshly mown grass. The hip-hop brigade would probably put that slightly differently, though.